Birds New Zealand endorses the Use of 1080 for Pest Control

Birds New Zealand endorses the
Use of 1080 for Pest Control for Protecting Native
Birds

Birds New Zealand President, David
Lawrie, said today that his society strongly endorses the
decision of the Government announced earlier this week by
the Hon. Dr. Nick Smith, Minister of Conservation, for the
aerial use of 1080 pesticide in a “Battle for Our Birds”
for the control of animal pests to achieve better protection
of our at risk native birds.

Mr. Lawrie said, “Members
of Birds New Zealand are increasingly concerned at
the steady loss of native birds in all natural habitats,
especially iconic, rare and endangered species that include
kiwi, kakariki, kea, kaka, mohua, whio and kokako. The
‘Battle for Our Birds’ programme launched by the
Minister to save native species is a welcome response to the
expected increase in pest animal numbers that will
eventually prey on forest birds following exceptionally
heavy seeding in beech forests that is predicted to occur
this year”. “Birds living in all natural habitats need
protection from rats, stoats and other pests”, said Mr.
Lawrie, “and the problem is expected to be especially
urgent in coming months in beech forests where very heavy
seeding is expected and will lead to greatly increased
populations of pest animals that will prey on
birds”.

“Birds New Zealand accepts the
conclusions of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the
Environment that careful use of 1080 is safe and that its
regulated use is the only tool presently available for
cost-effective control of pest animals for the protection of
birds over large areas of forests. It complements the use of
trapping that is widely applied now but the sheer scale of
the pest control problem in beech forests in coming months,
especially in the South Island, following predicted mass
seeding means that carefully targeted aerial spreading of
1080 is the only practical and realistic approach that can
be adopted”, stated Mr. Lawrie.

He said that several
studies have been made on the impacts on native birds since
the mid 1990s which have demonstrated that aerial 1080
poisoning of possums and other pests has not markedly
affected native bird populations and in all cases is
beneficial in the longer term.

Studies of North Island
robin and North Island tomtit in Pureora Forest Park in
1997/98 concluded that the breeding success of both species
improved dramatically after pests were poisoned by aerially
distributed 1080 baits. The use of 1080 baits has also been
demonstrated in studies published in 2003 to have markedly
improved the survival and nesting success of kereru and kaka
in Whirinaki Forest Park, near Rotorua.

In a study made on
the critically endangered kakapo, a nocturnal herbivorous
parrot, Mr. Lawrie said, “The breeding of the kakapo is
associated with periodic heavy seeding of several forest
trees and other plants, their major plant foods. Protection
of kakapo chicks from predation from stoats, rats and
possums is therefore critically important when heavy seeding
occurs and the careful use of the 1080 pesticide can help
achieve this”.

Mr. Lawrie also explained, “That a
major concern of ecologists is that 1080 poison itself,
however carefully applied, might be killing some of the
native bird and other animal species that it is intended to
protect. While there was some evidence of this in the past,
the design and application of 1080 has changed immensely in
recent years”. Mr. Lawrie added, “An issue that has been
studied in South Island robins by the Zoology Department in
the University of Otago was the effect of an aerial 1080
operation to control possums, which are now preceded by
non-toxic pre-feeding bait. The results were clear in that
adult robins nesting in the study area of the 1080 operation
survived. This University of Otago research is continuing to
look for other positive effects of 1080 operations on
biodiversity”.

Mr. Lawrie added that, “A conclusion of
a study involving the kea, a parrot living only in a few
South Island mountains shows that where an aerial
application of 1080 was well timed the secondary poisoning
of stoats was sufficient to increase kea productivity
four-fold over the next two breeding seasons as well as
leading to improved survival of birds in all age classes.
Populations have been modelled to show that the alternative
of no pest control at all would see the likely demise of the
kea and that would be very sad loss indeed for such a
distinctive and intelligent endemic species”.

“A study
published in 2012 of 1080 poisoning of possums where the
fernbird occurs suggests that impacts of aerial 1080
operations on fernbird numbers are small and the observed
impact is outweighed by improved breeding and survival
resulting from the reduction of mammalian predators”, Mr.
Lawrie stated.

Birds New Zealand is the recently
adopted popular name for the Ornithological Society of New
Zealand. The change has been made in the hope that this will
improve the awareness, understanding and relevancy of the
society to the general public. The society was formed nearly
75 years ago and aims to foster the study, knowledge and
enjoyment of birds. Birds New Zealand is committed to
the study of birds and their habitat use within New Zealand
through encouraging members and organising various projects
and schemes. Activities are organised nationally and amongst
18 regions that provides a local network for members to
engage in bird studies. Results of studies are published in
the society’s scientific journal ‘Notornis’ whilst
general articles and news are published in the magazine
‘Birds New Zealand’ (formerly ‘Southern Bird’). The
society has more than 1,100 members in New Zealand and
overseas.

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